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Indentured Servants First Brought To America
With indentured servants being brought to Vigrinian settlers by the Dutch, this event had been the introduction to slavery, although in 1619 there were distinctions. One being that indentured servants could work for their freedom. However, it didn't take much time for Africans to be treated as property, and thus, slavery was born, which was the main conflict in the Civil War. -
Missouri Compromise
Submitted by Henry Clay to find an understanding on the regulation of slavery, it was agreed that slavery would be prohibited north of the parallel 36 degree 30' north of the former Loiusiana Territory except within the boundaries of the state of Missouri, known as the Mason Dixon line. Due to this compromise, this created further disunity between the North and South, almost as if they were seperate countries. -
End of the Mexican War
With the end of the Mexican-American War after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo between Santa Anna and President Polk came a new idea of popular sovereignty, which was letting states decide on whether they would be free startes or slave states based on majority vote. This decision by Congress led to later feuds between the North and South, ultimately leading to the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This act, pssed the day before the Compromise of 1850, required officials who did not arrest runaway slaves to pay a fine. This also included citizens who were assisting runaway slaves to pay a fine, making the North, who was against slavery, have to be placed in a situation where they cannot assist their own cause. This played a major part in causing the Civil War because segregation was made an even bigger conflict in history once the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, this book showed an insight on the terrible trials that were everyday life for a slave. This book helped further the Abolitionist movement, and, being the second-best-selling book in America (the first being the Bible), was even recognized by Abraham Lincoln as one of the events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, sponsored by Stephen A. Douglas, allowed the territory of Kansas to decide whether it would be a slave state or a free state. This led to Bleeding Kansas, a series of violent events that spanned from 1854 to 1858 between thousands of pro- and anti-slavery supporters that flooded the state. -
Attack of Charles Sumner
Congressman Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner gsve a speech aimed at attacking pro-slavery forces in Kentucky. Being pro-slavery himself, Preston Brooks took great offense at hs words, and procceded to attack Sumner half to death with his cane on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Instead of being punished, Brooks did get sent to jail but was let out on bail and re-elected into the Senate. The pieces of the cane he used to beat Sumner were regarded as "holy relics". -
Pottawatomie Massacre
John Brown led six followers, including four of his sons in a retaliation after the violence that occured in Lawrence on a killing spree on the eve of March 25th. They killed and chopped up five por-slavery settlers. The purpose for the mutilation of thier bodies was to intimidate and discourage slavery supporters from coming to Kansas. This helped lead to thei civil war by causing tension between the North and the South and caused a great amount of bloodshed between Americans. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown, along with 18 of his followers, raided a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. No other event did more than Harper's ferry to convince white southerners that they could not live safely in the union. Obviously, this created resentment from both pro- and anti-skavery groups which helped lead to the Civil War. -
Election Of Abraham Lincoln
Despite not being included on some Southern ballots, Lincoln, whom represented the Republican Party, won the election of 1860. Although Lincoln did not consider himself an Abolitionist, his position on slavery was an issue that contributed to the Civil War. Lincoln believed the South was becoming too powerful and proposed that slavery would not be extendedto any new territories or states. Souch Carolina as well as six other states seceded from the Union after his election.
